The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-13
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

wife of John Collier, the artist, died in London
recently. She herself had remarkable talent
as an artist, Her first picture, The Sins OF the
| Fathers" was favorably placed IN the Royal
Academy in 1879. She was also an exhibitor in
| 1881 showing, in addition to subject picture,
full length portrait of her sister, Miss Nellie
i lEi.uxey In another year her picture BY the
| fractions of the GroSvenor gallery, where Mrs
Collier also exhibited some very charming child
portraits.
THE position of medicine man to a band of
Indians at Bay Centre, on Shoalwater Bay, in
| Oregon is about being vacated, and competi-
tive examination was at last accounts beng
| held Tor a successor. The examination was
| unique and in accordance with the laws OF the
| tribe, which provide that the candidate who
| dances for one week, night and day, without
giving out, and succeeds in the meantime IN
| finding some object which has been previously
| hidden, is chosen. He is forthwith declared the
| medicine man. and the healing business is
| turned over to him. When last heard from the
/ candidates had been tripping for four days, and
several were almost exhausted.
An atmospheric phenomenon was observed
in San Francisco the other evening, and is re-
| ferred to by the Chronicle About II O'Clock e
thin band of light of the consistency of cloud,
| and extending across the zenith from east to
west, seen skrtng the heavens. The sky
| was almost perfectly clear and there was no
| fog. At first it appeared like thin band, but
| gradually expanded until it was about two feet
wide. The light emitted from it was consider
| able. 1t continued to be visible for about an
| hour, and, after flashing like an aurora, finally
| disappeared. During the continuance of the
| phenomenon an electric disturbance was pro-
| duced and many of the telephone wires failed
| TO work.
AN engagement slate is one of the things
which the very English girl finds it necessary to
have on her desk. They are framed in many
| symbolic ways, for all the ancient devices in
faA riflyc dc ont nd
for them. For instance. one of them is i'm
bedded in a tangle of carved netting and has
TWO lawn-tennis racQuets crossed above it, and
tiny inkstand concealed in a ball, which lies
IN racquet in front of it. The engagement
slate, be it understood, is really a card with
blanks for each day in the week. A porcelain
tablet would be much more convenient and as
1t cou Id be cleaned, would enable one to keep
record for a fortnight without any trouble, but
the card is the proper thing. e
In little basin Of the Alps, 200 feet above
sea-level and five miles from the end of the
great Aletsch glacier, is the unique little lake
known as the Marialen sea. This Is fed by noun
tain streamets, its waters being held back by the
ice of the great glacier itself An English geol.
ogist mentions having seen it in 1858 as body OF
water 300 yards wide and three times as long,
with a maximum depth of ninety seven feet.
But the next day it had vanished. The ice-dam
had yielded sufficiently to allow the pent-up
water to escape beneath the glacier and plunge
into the valley below, devastating the fields,
and considerably raising the level of the Rhone.
These discharges take place at irregular inter
valS though reputed to occur every seven years.
The latest outbreak was in September last, since
which it has been proposed to lessen future
damages by providing an artificial outlet to re-
duce the lake S capacity one-halt.
SOUTHERN WOMEN are growing independent.
The New Orleans Times Democrat says: The
custom of women in attending the theatre in
groups of three or more without an escort is
he
1t is very sensible and proper sort of indepen-
dence for it has always seemed rather hard TO
debar the sex from visiting either opera or play
simply because no man happened to be availa-
BILE at the moment 1t is still a bit awkward
and embarrassing, for on entering public place
every one present has way of staring over
ones shoulder as though hunting up a missing
man, but if the courageous individual be full Of
pluck this is soon overcome. Then, there is
strength in numbers. No one thinks of ven
turing out with less than two companions,
which set at rest any scruples on the score of
personal protection. To many there is no
pleasure equal to theatre going, and prejudice
will soon be lived down that is based on such
narrow limitations.
AN INSTANCE Of the remarkable GOODNESS
and audacity of thief, though perhaps not an
uncommon one, is worth relating. One day
Liverpool ''stalkr-a man capable of doing mis-
chief of any kind for a tri1e-having watched
his opportunity, took up a coat that hung out
side pawnbrokers shop. Fhnging it over his
arm, and carrying it into the shop as if intend
ing to make purchase, he offered it for sale.
Not recognizing his own property, the pawn
broker bought the coat, But even this did not
satisfy the thief. He handled some silk baud
kerchiefs, and in choosing one remarked care
lessly: Take pay for this out of the money for
the coat" But have given you the money"
indig~ antly answered the pawnoroker. 'Oh no,
you haven't said the thief. A warm alterca-
ton ensued In vain the shopman protested
that he had paid the money; and at last the
thief went out in search of an officer to settle
the dispute, taking with him some silver
spoons, several silk handkerchiefs as well as
the silk handkerchief in question, which in
his excitement the broker had forgotten.
AN AMERICAN, who at one time resided in
Berlin, relates a characteristic incident about
the Crown Prince of Germany, whose kindly
disposition is welknown among his own people
lone Sunday" the narrator says, Il was at
| tending one of the churches in which the royal
| chaplainS preach. In these there arc seats
! decorated with the royal arms and reserved for
| the exclusive use of the royal family. The
| church was crowded and many had to stand. |
was standing in the gallery just back of the
royal box, in which alone there were some
vacant seats An old and plainly dressed
woman, who might have been a SeamStreSS or q
| aundress came near me looking for a seat and
| finally, as it seemed from ignorance, went into
the royal Enclosure and seated herself lust back
of 'Unser Fritz and the Princess Victoria, An
aid or military attendant at once made move
as though he were going to show the intruder
out. But the Prince, in the most quiet way
touched him on the arm as a sign that he should
remain seated The charming thing about it
was the utter lack of any effort to draw atten.
ton to the kindly act. The poor old woman sat
to the end of the service with the royal person.
ages, and this shows the kindness of heart
which marks the man."
Gov HILL is about to take lessons in horse
back riding. His private secretary, Col. Rice, is
an expert horseman, and the Governor has
finally yielded to his persuasons to accompany
him mornings in Il canter over the country. TIE
Colonel intenls to ride at least an hour every
morning this winter in spite of wind cold biz
yards or storms The Governor will not pledge
himself to any such heroic sacrifice of comfort
but be has consented to ride on pleasant morn
lngs until the weather becomes too cold for com
fort. The Albanians remember that Gov Tiden
was slillful rider, and took much exercise on
blooded black, which soon became as well
known in the surrounding country as its distin-
gulshed master The only exercise which Gov.
t'' takes is a walk twice day to and from the
,ecutlve Mansion and the Capitol, the distance
enus traversed being only about two miles
Sometimes he has visitor nights who can play
billiards, and W tn him he will walk another two
miles around the table. He is not so alert in his
MOI 40 II